Amazing Grace! Long Hill 9-year-old with cancer feted by Jets, SNY

EAST RUTHERFORD - Grace Eline was laying still, her face encased in a mesh mask, having her brain scanned. She was preparing to start radiation therapy.

The next night, Aug. 10, Grace, her parents, Dan Eline and Aubrey Reichard-Eline, Pop-Pop Dan Reichard and uncle Dan Reichard, were on the sideline at MetLife Stadium watching the Jets prepare to face Atlanta in their first preseason game.

Grace, a 9-year-old from Gillette, was the Jets' honorary captain. She cheered the players as they did pregame drills and ran through the tunnel, and helped with the coin toss. 

The visiting Falcons called heads, won the toss, and chose to defer to the second half of a shutout loss to the Jets. 

"They look more bigger," Grace said as the Jets stretched just a few yards in front of her. "On TV, they look like little ants. But now, they look like big humans, a lot bigger than me. On TV, you don't get to see how they practice, and all the cameras."

On the sideline before kickoff, Grace danced to the booming sound system and occasionally waved bright green-and-silver pompoms. Looking way way up toward the top of the stadium, she cheered, "Punting!" As the offensive line and quarterbacks came out of the tunnel, Grace clapped enthusiastically. 

She met Jets defensive tackle turned radio broadcaster Marty Lyons. "Mommy, there's (Jets linebacker) Darron Lee," Grace said softly, then accepted a high five from field judge Keith Washington. 

Wearing a white T-shirt and long shorts, Jets safety Marcus Maye stopped by. Cornerback Buster Skrine took off his helmet and introduced himself to the little girl with a sparkly green Jets cap shielding the fuzz growing back on her pale scalp.

Grace's favorite Jets player, quarterback Josh McCown, knelt down to go through her massive shopping bags. She had received a $200 gift certificate to the team store, picking up a sleeping bag for camp next week, pompoms, Jets logo slippers  — "what every girl needs," Aubrey Reichard-Eline quipped — a light brown teddy bear, and plenty of other gear. Grace even got her own No. 4 jersey, with "Gracie" printed on the back as she watched. 

She quickly swapped the Curtis Martin No. 28 she'd worn to MetLife Stadium for the upgraded model. Dan Eline, Grace's father, wore a Jets-green T-shirt with "Good Vibes Warrior" and the family's hashtag, #GoodVibesForGrace printed on it. 

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HOW YOU CAN HELP:Read Grace Eline's Caring Bridge journal

Doctors discovered a mass on Grace's pituitary gland on April 9. After a series of seemingly neverending scans and tests, the family received a diagnosis of germ cell brain tumor, a rare cancer. 

"You don't ever expect it," Eline said. "We never guessed we'd hear that news, to get called into the doctor's office and hear, 'We found a mass.' We learned a lot about what Grace is capable of. She doesn't complain. She gets up and does it with a smile. It's crazy, I wouldn't wish it on anyone but it's a blessing. We learned what we're capable of. One foot after another, and you get through it."

Grace began four cycles of chemotherapy on May 7 at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. She had to stop softball and gymnastics. She missed the end of third grade, but was able to keep up with her classmates via a robot.

Grace finished chemo in late July, and will start five weeks of radiation at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick in a couple of weeks. 

She might miss the start of fourth grade at Millington School, but the robot is waiting just in case. The Elines' goal is to keep things as normal and child-like as possible.

"Three days of chemo, maybe Thursday she still doesn't feel well," said Reichard, Grace's grandfather. "But Friday, Saturday, she's a kid."

Grace's first outing after finishing chemotherapy was to the Jets' Florham Park training camp. Since the forecast was sweltering, Reichard-Eline emailed the day before to ask about accommodations to help Grace stay out of the sun. That didn't work out, but the Jets recommended Grace for Dream Day. 

She's the first girl to be recognized by the Jets, and a lifelong fan, thanks to Reichard, who has supported the team since 1965, "before Namath." The family still has season tickets.  

Grace hopes to be finished with radiation by early October.

"She totally tackled it," Reichard said. "The Jets could take lessons from her."

Staff Writer Jane Havsy: 973-428-6682; jhavsy@gannettnj.com; www.dailyrecord.com/writerjane/